Fix access to medications for mental illnesses

As psychiatrists committed to patient well-being, we're deeply troubled by Canada's inadequate, inequitable access to mental-health medications. From debilitating anxiety disorders to life-threatening depression, the burden of mental illness weighs heavily on individuals, with a tsunami of effects on families, workplaces and the health-care system. In a country that prides itself on universal health care, it is unacceptable that access to vital medications for mental illnesses remains inconsistent.

In February, Ontario Health Minister Mark Holland, said “Each and every Canadian should have access to the prescription drugs they need.” The first phase of the proposed National Universal Pharmacare legislation includes universal access to contraception and diabetes medications. Will the one in five Canadians currently living with mental illness continue to be marginalized and de-prioritized? We must entrench the critical intersection of mental-health care and access to medications to address Canada’s current mental health-care crisis.

Dr. Diane McIntosh, Vancouver, and Dr. Pierre Blier, Ottawa